Negative trend in Somerset school system

April 04, 2008

To the editor:

This coming Tuesday, the Somerset Area School Board will be considering an issue that will impact the quality of the program of the school district for years to come.

Under consideration is the elimination of one position in the music department upon the retirement of Mr. Herb McDowell. This suggests a negative trend within the district as the retirement of the senior high art teacher a few years ago also led to the elimination of a position in the art department. Since statistics show that students involved in the arts tend to excel academically as well, one wonders why the school board seems intent on pursuing a course that will be detrimental in the long run.

This issue goes beyond one teacher who has successfully filled Mr. McDowell’s position during his sick leave. Mr. Jason June has stepped in, connected with students, and continued the level of excellence we can and should expect in our district. While it would be a tremendous loss to see him move elsewhere, this is about more than an individual teacher, it’s about the quality we expect from our district and to which our school board is expected to provide. Any program, whether sports, music, etc., needs a strong ‘feeder’ program at the lower levels and the administration’s plan is clearly a step in the wrong direction.

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We applaud recent ongoing renovations to upgrade athletic and school facilities. We appreciate the more than $30,000 spent on new marching band uniforms. We do have to note some inflexibility in class scheduling that make it difficult to schedule music classes; whether band, orchestra or jazz band. Again, this is a trend that produces alarm and we urge the school board to look into this matter and reconsider the proposal to eliminate the position. It’s more than a question of numbers and whether the administration can “make it work.” It’s about the quality of our school.

In closing, I urge any resident of the school district, whether you presently have children within the school system or not, to attend the school board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.